The Anambra State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has distanced itself from the various lawsuits challenging the amendment of the State Electoral Act, capable of marring the conduct of the Local Government Elections in the state, scheduled for the 28th of September, 2024.
Anambra State last had local government elections in 2014, a development that many had bemoaned, calling on the State Government to put in place, machinery to conduct the exercise.
Upon its inauguration, the State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC released the guidelines and schedule of activities for the elections earlier this month. But some politicians and political parties have since criticized the move as a plan by the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA in the state, to foist their candidates over others.
Last week, the Labour Party and the All Progressives Congress, APC, said they are headed to court to challenge the amendment of the State Electoral Act, by the State House of Assembly, which they said brought up controversial sections in the law.
But the NULGE in the state is calling on politicians and political parties to desist from going to court to challenge the time frame of the September 28 Local Government elections to avoid dragging the state back to her harrowing days.
NULGE President in the state, Comrade Nicholas Aromeh appealed to his office in Awka while hosting Anambra West Local Government Chairman of NULGE, Comrade Ogochukwu Obagha, and her team.
He noted that the Supreme Court’s judgment on the local government elections in the country has already become a law in the nation’s system.
He urged politicians to rather give Governor Chukwuma Soludo full support by going to the polls to vote for the popular candidates, just as he advised political parties that had gone to a court already to withdraw their petitions for the holistic interest of the state.
Aromeh also called on residents of the state to support the Governor’s effort to conduct the LG elections
He said, “The judgment stated categorically that should any governor fail to conduct the local government elections in the country within 90 days, the federal allocation coming to the state for its local governments would stop coming forthwith.
“So on this note, Mr Governor has slated a date for the Anambra State Local Government elections to come up on September 28 before the time limit given by the Supreme Court. Therefore, Mr Governor has done well.
“I think that what the politicians in Anambra State should do, is to give him full support by going to the polls and vote for whoever that is popular in whichever political party so that the person will emerge as a winner at the polls.
“Soludo has not done badly so far as he is trying to meet the ruling of the Supreme Court and the instructions of the Federal Government so that the state would not lag behind.”
Earlier, Comrade Obagha, while felicitating Comrade Aromeh on his new position, described the collective support of the local government workers as very vital to enable him and his team to forge ahead.
He advised Aromeh to start from where his predecessor stopped, including working towards creating a peaceful atmosphere to better the lots of everybody in Anambra civil service and those of them in the union.
